Minister An, Kyung-duk visited the site of a collapse in Gwangju
○ Minister An offered condolences to the families of workers who were unaccounted for and called for a
thorough investigation into the causes of the accident.
□ On Wednesday January 12, 2022, Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk visited the site
where the exterior wall of an apartment under construction collapsed at 15:50 on January 12, 2022 in
Gwangju’s Hwajeong neighborhood.
□ Minister An offered condolences to the families of six subcontracted workers(three construction workers
for windows, one for masonry structure, and two for facilities) who still remain unaccounted for.
ㅇ He stated, “I apologize for the delay in rescue efforts due to concerns over a possible second incident,
including safety issues with the tower crane, and we will do everything within our power to swiftly rescue
the missing workers while making sure everyone is safe.”
ㅇ He added, “In cooperation with related ministries, we are committed to repairing the damage. We will
carry out a complete and thorough site inspection to identify the causes of the accident and hold those
responsible accountable.”
□ He then visited the site at the collapse and was briefed by the Regional Industrial Accident Superviser
(Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Officer) on the situation surrounding the collapse.
ㅇ Afterward, he added, “We experienced a great number of casualties in the wake of the Gwangju
Hakdong Collapse in June. It is regrettable that six construction workers are still missing after the wall
crumbled.”
ㅇ He said, “I ask you to make every effort to take care of the situation and conduct an in-depth safety
compliance investigation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act to find if the concrete was given
sufficient time to harden and safety standards were observed.”
□ Minister An expressed strong disappointment toward Hyundai Development Company(HDC-DVP), where
“tragic disasters that shouldn’t take place have occurred on multiple occasions.”
ㅇ He called for “special supervision of the HDC-DVP’s headquarters and major construction sites so that
identical or similar accidents do not happen in the future.”